Act of evil

THE wife of a church organist murdered as he walked to Christmas Midnight Mass
told of her heartache last night.

Tearful Maureen Greaves, 63, said of the attack that left the grandad dying in
the street: “There was no motive”.

Kindly hubby Alan, 68, was set upon 250 yards from St Saviour’s Church in
Sheffield where he was meant to play on Christmas Eve.

Maureen said: “We are devastated.”

Horrified Rev Simon Bessant — canon of St Saviour’s — said of the caring
Sheffield pensioner: “I don’t think he could have had an enemy in the world.”

The vicar said: “He was simply a good man and this is an evil act. It was a
senseless, wicked attack. I can’t imagine who would do this.” Alan, who was
also a lay preacher at the church, was described by the vicar as “a gentle
giant” and “a teddy bear of a grandfather”.

Devastated Maureen said yesterday as police launched a huge murder hunt: “It’s
just not what you expect, somebody to walk down the street and get murdered
— and at this time of year as well. It is just dreadful.”

Her husband — found with appalling head injuries by a pizza delivery driver —
was rushed to hospital where surgeons operated on him for four hours.

He lost his battle for life on Thursday night surrounded by his distraught
family. Rev Bessant described the community as “deeply shocked and
traumatised”.

He said the grandad was “without a violent bone in his body” — adding: “They
are a wonderful family who do nothing more than seek to serve the community.”

Alan and his wife were behind a recent community project and had set up a
local food bank. The grandad, a retired social worker, played piano for
pupils at a primary school.

A soft toy amid flowers left where he was ambushed bore a message from a pupil
saying: “RIP Mr Greaves. Love Ellie. X.”

– A MAN found stabbed to death in his home was fashion designer Shaun
Akanbi, 26, whose Billy Boyce clothes were worn by R&B stars Ms Dynamite
and Tinie Tempah. He was found at his flat in Kilburn, North London, on
December 22.